Businesses raided in nationwide crackdown on synthetic drugs

[slimvictor]

Police and federal agents raided dozens of businesses suspected of selling drugs such as "K2" and "Spice" in nearly 100 cities Wednesday as part of the first-ever nationwide crackdown on synthetic drugs

The drugs, often marketed as herbal incense or bath salts, mimic highs from cocaine, marijuana and LSD and remain widely available in convenience stores, smoke shops and online despite a July 9 federal ban.

•In Columbus, Ohio, a drug task force raided three shops and a convenience store, seizing hundreds of packets of K2 and Spice, and arresting two people, Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott said.

(...)

•In Duluth, Minn., federal agents executed search warrants at a shop called Last Place on Earth, which is suspected of selling the synthetic drugs, said Jeanne Cooney, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis.

Duluth Police called the store an "ever-evolving nuisance." Police said they have had a big increase in calls involving use of synthetic drugs around the shop.

"For the last 16 months, problems with synthetic drugs and the behaviors around the Last Place on Earth downtown has been a major concern for our citizens, business community and the police department," police said in a written statement.

Federal agents and local police also cracked down on businesses in Tampa, Upstate New York, and a dozen gas stations and convenience stores near Pittsburgh. In Texas, the DEA executed search warrants at 14 smoke shops in Rio Grande Valley cities, including Brownsville and South Padre Island.



cont at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-07-25/bath-salts-crackdown/56492486/1

 

[panic_the_digital]

Is it really so much to ask that the media accurately report on what the drugs do?

 

[xxsicknessxx]

Is it really so much to ask that the media accurately report on what the drugs do?

Yes

is it so much to ask that people mind there own business and let us run are own lifes

yes

 

[maxalfie]

Sounds to me that all these reported 'Zombie' attacks apparently caused by the use of 'bath salts' was just the build up to give the police the reason for carrying out these raids on head shops.

 

[LogicSoDeveloped]

If they legalized marijuana, I bet a lot less people would be interested in using synthetic cannabinoids. Some people like them more but IME, most people prefer marijuana. I definitely prefer marijuana but have used synthetic cannabinoids in the past when I couldn't smoke. I stopped several months ago though as I realized they are unpleasant and I should just wait for my testing to end.

 

[SDforever420]

Three smoke shops in my city were raided because of this. Imagen my suprise when i went to get a fragrance sachet and there was cops chilling out there saying they were closed untill tomorrow. I guess it isnt that suprising. They did this before and they just changed there shit up, they will most likely do it agian.

 

[23536]

Did they raid every head shop in the country?

I saw Michelle Lionheart on TV at the gym, talking about this.

 

[2c-goinsane]

reminds me i was at a head shop the other day. i asked if they carried mushroom spores and she said no because her boss says its to risky yada yada yada. i was surprised because they had a whole counter full of k2 and other shits thats more risky than just having mushroom spores now. i even asked her about it and mentioned the new bill but she just agreed with me, she also said her boss tests the spices/k2/bath salts whatever and what not, which doesnt make since she sends 1 sample off for testing out of 100s. i guess they arent aware that who ever is sending them there supply can put different things in each bag/sample whatever it is.

 

[villian]

US arrests 90 in nationwide synthetic drug crackdown

Federal agents arrested more
than 90 people and seized about 5 million packets of synthetic
drugs - known on the street as "bath salts," "K2" and "Spice" -
in the first U.S. nationwide crackdown on "designer drugs," the
Drug Enforcement Administration said on Thursday.

The DEA said the haul from multi-agency raids in more than
100 U.S. cities included 4.8 million packets of synthetic
cannabis, 167,000 packets of "bath salts" and more than $36
million in cash.

Operation Log Jam, which involved the DEA, five federal
agencies, state and local police, "has disrupted the entire
illegal industry, from manufacturers to retailers," DEA
Administrator Michele Leonhart said in a statement.

"Together with our federal, state and local law enforcement
partners, we are committed to targeting these new and emerging
drugs with every scientific, legislative and investigative tool
at our disposal," she said.

Synthetic drugs - with street names like "bath salts" or
"plant food" - mimic more traditional illegal narcotics like
cocaine, LSD, MDMA and methamphetamine, and have rapidly grown
in popularity, the DEA said.

Bath salts have been blamed in several incidents of erratic
and violent behavior around the country.

Smokable herbal blends marketed as "Spice," "K2," "Blaze,"
and "Red X Dawn" and labeled as incense contain illegal
psychoactive compounds that mimic THC, the active ingredient in
marijuana. They have become popular among teens and young
adults, the DEA statement said.

source @ http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-usa-narcoticsraidl2e8ir01y-20120726,0,2031690,full.story

 

[webbykevin]

Did they raid every head shop in the country?

I saw Michelle Lionheart on TV at the gym, talking about this.

what was she doing at the gym ?

 

[rc_headache28]

I just read the article And When I originally found out about the ban About a year ago I wondering why they only scheduled 1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH- 018), 1-butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-073), 1-[2-(4- morpholinyl)ethyl]-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-200), 5-(1,1- dimethylheptyl)-2-(3-hydroxycyclohexyl)-phenol (CP-47,497), and 5-(1,1- dimethyloctyl)-2-(3-hydroxycyclohexyl)-phenol (cannabicyclohexanol, CP- 47,497 C8 homologue) and of course Bk MDMA Mephadrone and MDPV But with the analog catch all clause They have damn near total control Just another way Big Brother is regulating us Americans.

 

[xxsicknessxx]

they suck

 

[tripz_two]

The story on this I saw yesterday said the Post Office was involved and I thought (maybe wrongly Customs) as part of the other federal agencies. This made me think they were also arresting mail order customers - people ordering stuff. The story above though just says they raided businesses, which would seem more logical to get bigger busts. So Im wondering if it was just retail business, or did involved mail order. ?

 

[23536]

I just read the article And When I originally found out about the ban About a year ago I wondering why they only scheduled 1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH- 018), 1-butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-073), 1-[2-(4- morpholinyl)ethyl]-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-200), 5-(1,1- dimethylheptyl)-2-(3-hydroxycyclohexyl)-phenol (CP-47,497), and 5-(1,1- dimethyloctyl)-2-(3-hydroxycyclohexyl)-phenol (cannabicyclohexanol, CP- 47,497 C8 homologue) and of course Bk MDMA Mephadrone and MDPV But with the analog catch all clause They have damn near total control Just another way Big Brother is regulating us Americans.

Have you looked up the legislation? They actually scheduled entire chemical classes of cannabinoids. Where is the bill? I'll show you exactly what I mean:

edit: here's an excerpt:

(a) Cannabimimetic Agents- Schedule I, as set forth in section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

‘(d)(1) Unless specifically exempted or unless listed in another schedule, any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of cannabimimetic agents, or which contains their salts, isomers, and salts of isomers whenever the existence of such salts, isomers, and salts of isomers is possible within the specific chemical designation.

‘(2) In paragraph (1):

‘(A) The term ‘cannabimimetic agents’ means any substance that is a cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1 receptor) agonist as demonstrated by binding studies and functional assays within any of the following structural classes:

 

[Venrak]

^oh shit.

 

[SDforever420]

What i dont get is i know for a FACT that my smoke shops blends didnt contain any illegal substances in it. Couple of my buddies got caught with it and they sent it off for testing. It came back as veggie matter and 2 uncontrolled substance. When they get their court transcripts ill post what they were.

So how could they bust them or arrest them?

 

[skillet]

That's what I was wondering, since a few were coming out with combinations of N- and 3- substituents not known in the literature, so nobody can say for sure that they're, "cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1 receptor) agonist as demonstrated by binding studies and functional assays." Or are all 1,3 substituted indoles/indazoles illegal?

 

[coelophysis]

I didn't realize that once these drugs used in Bath Salts were made illegal, that people would continue to pack them up in the flashy packaging and keep selling them like they were. I mean really? Are those little shiny packets supposed to be a street drug now that people pick up on seedy corners?

 

[SteeleyJ]

(a) Cannabimimetic Agents- Schedule I, as set forth in section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

‘(d)(1) Unless specifically exempted or unless listed in another schedule, any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of cannabimimetic agents, or which contains their salts, isomers, and salts of isomers whenever the existence of such salts, isomers, and salts of isomers is possible within the specific chemical designation.

‘(2) In paragraph (1):

‘(A) The term ‘cannabimimetic agents’ means any substance that is a cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1 receptor) agonist as demonstrated by binding studies and functional assays within any of the following structural classes:

This seems a rather broad description, is this the new way we're moving. Can anyone tell me if this is a normal type of description or more broad than most?

I'm worried that they can blanket ban most tryptamine psychedelics with a similar move.

 

[cj]

Honestly I hope they push the business back to the internet. Those blends are not safe people have no idea whats in them and theres no quality control. One of the people I grew up with is in a coma with brain swelling after smoking 2-3 grams of "blends" a day for months. Yea what he did was dumb but he was on probation so its all he could do. The general public isnt educated enough about these chemicals to have them in gas stations.